Most property management companies offer a tenant placement-only service, and if you aren’t 100% sure that you'll be able to pick a solid tenant, it may not be a bad idea to hire a management company for tenant placement only.

Because the property's water bills were not registered in the tenant's name, I had to pick up the bill.

Plenty of other real estate companies struggling, they're not the only ones.Listen to Jim Cramer on CNBC....don't invest in companies that lose money.As I look back over the jobs I've had since I started working, I think you should pick very carefully who you follow and learn from.   

As a new agent, my advice would be to pick a brokerage that has more than 25+ active agents already in it and that can provide you an ongoing training & office support system. 

Don't get laser focused on a strategy before you even have a property picked out.

I have.Does a PM pick up a tenant from work and take them to a doctor for an emergency procedure? 

I would simply pick how you want to look at it, and then assess all deals in the same way, so you have apples to apples comparison.

I like when the tenant puts a check in the electrical panel box and landlord picks it up on the first.

Some things that helped me when I started were picking a market, learning about the different neighborhoods in that market, and studying sales comparables for 1-4 units in those neighborhoods on Zillow.Establish a criteria of what a good deal looks like, and what a bad deal is.

Pick some of the best older or newer neighborhoods in LA..